Persona: Hunger
by Changling96
Summary: Blood. Something to be coveted. Something to be protected. Something to fight for. Something to die for. Blood holds power beyond words within itself. Persona Fantasy AU
1. Prologue

The sun began its dip towards the horizon, painting the northern lands in deep reds and oranges. Snow slowly began to fall down in thin flurries, creating a fresh layer of powder on top of the frost that pervaded the outdoors during this time of year.

Out of the shadow of one of the countless evergreens and pines, a thin figure in a tattered white cloak silently slinked down a thin game trail. He'd taken this same route numerous times in the past, quickly moving without leaving a single boot print behind. He knew that no one was following him, he was too experienced for that, but it paid well to be careful.

These woods were home to beings that would view him as nothing more than prey.

Silence encompassed the entire forest, the few animals that were hardy enough to live this far north were either deep in their hibernation cycles or were smart enough to find shelter out of the biting cold.

He pulled his cloak closer around himself.

After several more minutes of silent walking, the man stopped. Approaching a thicket that was situated under a low-hanging branch and right next to the side of a hill, he stooped down and brushed his hand to wipe away the thin layer of newly deposited snow.

With some effort, a finger finally found the piece of metal he was looking for. A quick twist later and the secret door that was built straight into the rock of the hill swung inwards; thicket still attached to the front of it. While it wasn't the best of cameo, the weather should prevent any traveler from straying too far from the main roads.

Besides, if any wayward soul happened to wander into their den; well, it could be considered its own punishment.

As always, the first thing that hit him upon entering the abode was the thick stench of blood. His nose twitched; that scent always got his blood pumping.

The hideout was more so a glorified cave than anything else. Several torches were place sporadically for lighting, even if they weren't always necessary. A table was set up in the middle; scattered across it were various trinkets and other spoils of their looting.

Then he noticed the torch that had been knocked against the floor and that one of the chairs was lying on its side.

Slowly approaching the torch, all his senses on alert from the change in the norm, the man reached out and lifted it up to his height.

His two mates were strung up against the furthest wall. The cause of death was rather apparent; they both had a crossbow bolt protruding from the left side of their chests and they were both decapitated. Blood, almost black from its contact with the air, stained the wall above them in patterns created from cutting two heads off.

He quickly drew his short sword from the sheath at his side; both of his mates had died before they could even reach their weapons and he'd make sure he would at least be able to meet what or who had done this head on.

Torch in one hand, he swept the corners of the room while trying to steady his breathing. It was only reflexive that he'd started to hyperventilate in the first place; the extra oxygen wasn't doing him any good.

But, despite his carefulness, despite his enhanced senses, he never heard the figure slip out of the darkness behind him.

Never saw the crossbow calmly aimed at him.

The slight tightening of a trigger and the inaudible twang of the bowstrings were all that made it to the man before the bolt ripped through his chest.

"Ack!"

Looking down, he was greeted with the sight of the crossbow bolt's silver tip poking out through his tunic. Whirling around on his assailant, the man's eyes went red at the sight of the dark figure. Lunging forward at a speed far beyond that of a normal human's, he brought his sword up to cleave his target in two.

Searing pain tore through his arms, the short sword and the torch clattering harmlessly to the ground. Two silver throwing knives were impaled through both of his wrists. Falling to his knees as his body began to fail him, he felt a shudder as he realized who he was up against. The hunter who could kill even experienced vampires with ease; who was good enough at ambushes to get the drop on a being that should have had every advantage during the night.

"T-Than-"

Before he could utter another letter, a single cut from a broadsword took his head straight off.

The vampire's head rolled across the uneven floor, coming to a stop against the chair that had been knocked aside in the previous conflict. The rest of his body collapsed into a heap on the floor.

The dark hunter flicked the vampiric blood off the edge of his blade before sheathing it at his side. It'd had once again done well in this fight, despite it not being nearly up to par with something like his master's sword. With a small amount of annoyance, he leaned down and removed the two silver knives from the vampire's body. He'd need to leave the crossbow bolts in their bodies for now if he ever wanted to use them effectively again. Walking over to where the head now rested, he picked it up by the hair and stuffed it into a fur sack; one that was layered with waterproof fur that would clean easily. It fit easily next to the other two heads and was soon slung back over his shoulder. Picking up his crossbow from where he'd dropped it on the ground, he left the vampire's den.

The night had only gotten colder since he'd snuck into the vampire's den a few hours ago, and it would only get colder as the night went on. Adjusting his kill-bag so that it was strapped to his bag, he began the long slug back to the town and the sun finally set.

* * *

"I-Is this the place?"

One of the town garrison guards spoke up as they finally arrived back at the hidden entrance to the vampire nest. A cart that was designated to carry corpses along with a fresh supply of dry wood under a tarp remained back at a main road a few minutes' walk away.

With a nod, the hunter moved over to the foliage, opening the door without the aid of one of the torches and stepped inside.

"It's too damn cold out tonight for this shit".

Another guard spoke up, rubbing his hands together and blowing hot air from his mouth on them.

"Oh, quit your wining. We'll be off shift after we're done disposing of the bodies".

The squad leader addressed his subordinate, lightly glaring at the two shivering men next to him.

Without a sound, the hunter walked back out of the next, two corpses over one shoulder and one over the other. All three guards all turned away at the as the stench of blood and death wafted off of the bodies and out from the entrance of the tiny cave.

"Ugh, those are vamps alright" The first guard said, going a bit green from the smell.

The leader approached the hunter, nodding back to the entrance, "Those are the only bodies, right?"

"They weren't harboring cattle; from what I observed, they were taking small portions of blood from travelers instead" The hunter spoke, his voice slightly muffled from the fabric mask that covered his mouth and nose.

The four men walked back to the main road in silence.

* * *

The wood caught quickly, despite the frigid temperature and snow. The hastily built pyre quickly incinerated the vampire's bodies and the low wind scattered their ashes as they floated up with the smoke.

He'd already settled the bounty on the wanted's heads; with his reputation guilds and towns knew better than to attempt and rip him off.

Feeling the bag of gold in a heavier state than it was in the beginning of the day, the hunter pulled his mask down and lowered his hood.

Dark, navy hair blended almost perfectly into the night as silver eyes looked at the dying embers of the pyre. The guards had long-since left; all too happy to head home to a warm bed and possibly some company.

Taking a deep breath of the frozen air, Minato Aristato ran a hand through his hair. If nothing had changed since he was last back at his home, he wouldn't be in the north for much longer.

Pulling his hood back down and donning his mask again, Minato cut through the woods away from the town as he began to make his way back to his village. While his dark grey long coat would keep him warm, he needed to get moving.


	2. Chapter 1

_Blood is considered to be the most valuable resource a man can have, above gold, silver, iron, and other precious metals. Blood can serve a multitude of physical and archaic purposes; for reasons that we are not completely sure of._

 _Does blood receive its power because it is directly linked to a person's lifesource, or is it the other way around? What differs one person's blood from another? Why is royal blood so especially effective, even when compared those of long bloodlines? Does the faith of their subjects somehow empower rulers?_

 _While many questions remain about blood and its source of power, its applications are far easier to observe. Each Humanoid species has their own unique application of blood. It has been observed that half-breeds are capable of using both aspects of their heritage._

 _Humans, to start, are widely known for their shear versatile usage of blood. From external elemental, healing, and forging magicks to internal techniques to strengthen the body, humanity has been feared and respected for centuries._

 _Dwarves are easily the most secretive out of all other humanoid species with their usage of blood, even more than vampires. And with good reason; they're known for their master-class smithing and enchantments. It is suspected to be a highly advanced and sophisticated version of human forging magicks, but, due the lack of dwarven guilds willing to leak ancient secrets, nothing is known for certain._

 _Elves, in contrast, are relatively open with their usage of blood. Steming from their simply massive lifesources, off of which they are able to live for at least two thousand years, elves are able to heal wounds that would take weeks in less than an hour. More experienced and properly trained healing mages are known for being able to heal critical and life-threatening wounds quickly. Their healing, combined with their skill with bows, makes them fearsome in wars of attrition._

 _Vampires have a rather complicated relation with blood when it comes to how it impacts them. If turned, a vampire's base abilities are impacted by their former blood while a naturally-born vampire is influenced by their parents. From there, the quality and quantity of blood they consume effects their development. Curiously enough, it is well-documented that blood that is freely given to a vampire has an enormous boost to its effects. Interestingly enough, assuming a vampire is given enough blood over time, it is possible for a vampire to be immortal. However, this is only in theory, as there are plenty of threats against vampires._

 _Lycanthropes, while encompassing every possible variation from common lupines to extremely rare and deadly loup garous, will typically consume and use blood in a similar fashion; via direct consumption of their prey. Known for their brutal ways, this species are known for their internal magics; ones that are able to improve the senses and fortify the body._

 _(More detailed information on each Humanoid species can be found in their relevant order from Section III to Section VIII)_

\- The Hunter's Field Guide to Understanding the Supernatural Vol. I, Section II: Blood and Its Properties

* * *

After several hours of hard travel north along game trails, Minato exited the treeline and continued his way down a shallow hill. A frozen-over stream cut through the foot of the hill leading to where the small, single-story house that the hunter begrudgingly recognized, but never truly felt, as home.

Dusting as much of the powder-like snow off his coat as he could, the blunet unlocked the front door and entered. As he expected from its outward appearance, the inhabitance was completely empty. Knocking his boots together with a sigh, Minato walked further in, completely unaffected by the frigid temperature inside. Not bothering to light a torch or the fireplace, he dropped his pack next to a simple wooden table before walking over and entering what was his room.

The Spartan room held barely more than a small desk, various letters scattered across its surface, no chair, and a bed with a single fur pelt thrown over it. Arriving at the desk, he picked a letter out and deposited in his pocket before grabbing a clean sheet of paper. With a quill and ink, Minato scribbled out in his messy, but legible, handwriting the major cities he was planning on passing through. He normally went out of his way to avoid a paper trail, but he had to make an exception this time.

Leaving the parchment out to dry, the blunet grabbed his hunting bow from its place next to his quiver in the corner of the room. A quick inspection told him that the bowstring was still in good condition, even though he hadn't gone hunting since fall had ended. Oh the bright side, his lack of hunting meant that he still had plenty of arrows left over from when he last bought some.

Detaching the bowstring so it wouldn't be damaged in transit, Minato put the bow back in its leather casing before bringing it and its quiver into the main room and strapping it to his pack. Entering the kitchen area of the house, he grabbed several slabs of salted meat, wrapped them in clean cloth, and placed them in a part of his pack specially designed for food. While they were in the middle of hibernation, and wouldn't be much of an issue for him in the first place, the last thing the blunet needed was for a bear to come after him.

As he began to walk back to his room to check on the drying paper, his attention was drawn to the space above the fireplace. The sole occupant of the mantle was an eastern sword, an ancient masterpiece of a long-dead dwarven master. The blade still retained its original edge; a feat due to the quality of the blade, the forging magic used in its creation, and the careful maintenance of several generations of owners. Minato bit his lower lip; the blade was far too valuable to be left alone for however long he'd be gone for. With no small amount of trepidation, he retrieved the soft cloth sleeve for the sword from beside the fireplace and slipped the blade into it.

After retrieving the dried note from his room, Minato left his home and locked the door behind him. The small storm that had caused that night's snowfall had fully blown through, leaving the moon and stars to illuminate the dark lands. Not that it mattered much to the blunet; it would take more than a few flurries to obscure his vision.

Adjusting his back to compensate for the added weight, he set off down the road to the village of Northlake.

* * *

Despite the village being vacant on the account of its inhabitants being asleep, Minato knew well before he spotted his destination that the person he was looking for was still awake. Ignoring the locked front door to the two-story house, he took the thin path around the side; already feeling the immense heat through the brick siding.

The back of the house's door was propped open as predicted, leading straight into the small workshop and forge. The sheer spike in temperate allowed the blunet to drop his mask, lower his hood, and even unbutton his coat. He walked in, leaving his pack near the door to prevent the temperature from messing with its contents.

The smith was hard at work, moving a long piece of iron between the forge and an anvil, where they were using a hammer to mold the metal. With the fires of the forge as their only source of light, Minato was easily able to move through the shadows to get a better view at the quickly forming weapon. Even in the low light, the blacksmith was expertly manipulating the metal into what the hunter knew would be a balanced blade. He waited for the smith to put aside their tools for a short break before making his presence known to her.

"Rather impressive sword you're making there".

Resisting the urge to smirk as she flinched wildly at the sudden intrusion, Minato waved back at the teal-haired woman in front of him.

"Hey, Fuuka".

Fuuka glared back at the dark-haired man, taking off her heavy smithing gloves and face shield before walking over to the large table on the other side of the room.

"For a twenty-year old living legend, you can act like a child, Minato".

The hunter snickered at her comment, following her to the workbench.

"I told you I was coming by after I was done with my hunt, didn't I?"

Reaching around the table for her project and a smaller tool to make one final adjustment, she responded, "I was expecting you to knock, like a normal person. Then again, no 'normal person' would put in an order for a repeating hand crossbow".

With wide eyes, Minato took the contraption into his hands and turned it over several times.

"You actually managed to get this to work? Damn, those years with the dwarves out East definitely show".

"T-Thanks" Fuuka paused for a moment, mulling her question over before speaking back up, "Why did you ask for me to create this anyways? You already have a crossbow and throwing knives, don't you?"

Raising an eyebrow at the question, the blunet placed the weapon back on the bench before responding, "Your ordinary crossbow will serve you well in most situations. They're easy to aim, can fire immediately, and are quite deadly. The problem with them is that they take time to reload. My silver knives do just fine as well, but they're really only good at killing lupine. A silver-tipped crossbow bolt is far better against vampires, but once you've fired once you won't have enough time to reload if the vampire doesn't die immediately".

"So you needed something that could shoot faster to take down stronger vampires, is that it?"

"I suppose. Although, after a certain point, even silver loses its effectiveness".

Fuuka frowned slightly at the change in tone, but continued the conversation regardless, "How do you kill that powerful of a vampire?"

The blunet let out a humorless chuckle, his silver eyes hardening, "Against a matriarch or a patriarch, things will get bloody fast. What you need against them, if you don't have certain kinds of magicks, is fire. Lots of fire".

The teal-haired woman bit her lip; she hated it when her friend spoke like this. Like the carnage that he went through that she only heard the rumors of was a perfectly normal thing. She always tried to steer their conversations away from those topics, in a small attempt to give the hunter a distraction from his everyday life.

Seemingly detecting the change in mood, Minato's expression sobered out immediately.

"Look, Fuuka; I'm going to be gone for some time. Probably a very long time".

"What happened? Did you get called on a hunt?"

"No," He shook his head, "It's nothing like that. It's… It's Hamuko. She was supposed to be back a week ago".

Reaching into his pocket, Minato took out the piece of parchment he wrote on earlier that night, placing it on the workbench.

"This has a list of the places I'm going to be visiting, along with how long I think it'll take for me get there. If Hamuko comes back without me, send letters to the next three places I'm supposed to be".

Fuuka nodded numbly, slipping the paper into the pocket of her work apron.

"And here," Minato walked back to his pack and returned with the cloth case, "I need you to hold onto this for me".

"This is?" The teal-haired black smith undid the top the cover only to gasp at the contents.

" _Minato_. This… This is…"

The blunet held his hand up to stop her, "My master's blade, I know. I couldn't just leave it in my home when I could possibly be gone for a year or more"

"But _this_ … _this_ is…"

"A priceless masterpiece several centuries old? Yes, it is. Which is why I need you to look after it in my absence".

"But why would you trust _me_ with…"

" _Fuuka_ " Her eyes widened at the force in his tone, "You're the only human I know that's learned secret dwarven smithing technique. I think you know how to properly take care of a blade".

"I know I can take care of it, just why… why aren't you taking this with you?"

He sighed, looking down at the blade, "Because that is a weapon that I cannot use. As much as he was my mentor, and as much as we viewed each other as family, only those of his line can use that blade. Whoever originally forged the blade made sure of that".

Sighing deeply, Fuuka replaced the cloth covering the sword and gently placed it on her workbench.

"Is there anything else you have for me before you leave?"

"Yeah, your pay". Minato placed a sizable bag of gold on the table, "This is for my order, and for looking after the sword".

The smith opened the bag and gasped again at the amount of gold in it.

By the time she looked back, the hunter was already at the door with his pack on.

"Goodbye, Fuuka".

And he vanished into the night.

* * *

Before he began his journey south, Minato walked to his final destination for the night. At the top of the furthest hill that was still within the protection of the village's wards, a single tree stood in solitude with its only companion being a small granite stone.

Upon reaching it, the hunter knelt down and wiped the snow that had collected off of the tombstone.

"Hey, master".

The blunet hadn't spoken often with his master when he was still alive, being more than happy to listen to the older man as he shared every bit of knowledge on combat and hunting.

"I'm not going to be around again for a while".

He was the one that suggested that his apprentice enter into the war in order to get first-hand experience in how brutal combat could be.

"Hamuko is a week late in returning, so I'm going after her like I said I would".

It was only after the war, with more experience than he thought he'd ever receive, that he found his mentor slowly withering away.

"You never told me exactly who that 'old friend' of yours was, but you said that you'd look after his daughter".

Hamuko had followed him back from a ruined village after figuring out who his master was and helped immensely with his final days.

"So, I'm leaving to honor that promise".

He died of old age, a miracle for his line of work.

"Rest easy, master, I'll make sure Hamuko is safe".

Minato rose to his feet and began to walk away, entering the trees facing south. Back on the hill, the stars cast their light upon the gravestone, illuminating the words "Raidou XIV".


	3. Chapter 2

A week's worth of travel down from the upper mountains of the north, Minato finally spotted the end of the forest of pine and evergreens. The weather had warmed enough from the lower elevation to the point that he had removed his mask entirely. Taking a moment before stepping out into the open, the hunter pulled a long, brown cloak out of his pack and set the clip in place. What the blunet valued most of the cloak was that it fell down to nearly his ankles; completely covering his dark gray long coat while also hiding his pack.

Stepping out of the treeline, Minato left his hood down as he surveyed the scenery. The frost that completely smothered the northern lands behind him was completely absent in the large, open meadow ahead. A thin layer of snow dusted the grasslands, with beams of sunlight filtering through the overcast skies.

Though, with no small amount of amusement, the blunet noted that the clouds cleared and the sunlight was far brighter in the direction his first stop was.

With the snow crunching under his boots, Minato walked through the field until he reached where the main road was. Without any obvious signs of recent usage, the hunter flipped both of his hoods up and began walking. It would take another day of straight travel before he reached destination.

After an hour or so, he made his way up the crest of a hill. From the view given, Minato saw where another road merged into his; the meeting marked with a large tree. Under its shade, a simple single-horse wagon rested next to man, woman, and who the hunter assumed was their son. They were speaking and laughing as they finished up their lunch and began to pack away the equipment used. Their horse stood apart from them, quietly grazing on the thin spouts of grass that poked through the snow.

While he wasn't original, the hunter walking down the hill did not go unnoticed by the family. The young boy's attention was immediately drawn in by the newcomer and pointed his presence out. Minato raised his eyebrow at the action, but did not say anything as the father approached him.

"Hail, traveler". The man was middle aged with light brown hair and a grizzled face that only came from long hours out in the sun.

Minato pulled down his hood and shook the man's hand before responding, "Good day, sir".

A moment of confusion at the amount of callouses on the blunet's hands was all the man had before he broke into a broad grin. "My son, you sure are polite!"

"It's a good first impression to have". The hunter wore a thin smile as he spoke.

Despite numerous offers, Minato walked alongside the horse with the father as the mother and son rode in the cart. The woman was either pointing out small pieces of scenery or reading to her child. Even if they were traveling slower than he wanted to, the blunet forced himself to enjoy the company while he still had it.

Eventually, night fell and they stopped under the moonlight. Without wood for a fireplace, woolen blankets were unwrapped. Minato sat on the ground, looking up at the night sky while the family got comfortable.

He pretended to not notice when the father walked over and sat in front of him.

"Thank you for sharing some of your food earlier". He spoke up first, causing the blunet to look down at him.

"Ah, you're welcome. To be frank, I'm just glad for the company; traveling on your own is nice and all, but a change of pace is always welcome".

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"You've raised your son well," The father's eyebrow rose at the hunter' comment but did not move to interrupt him, "To immediately tell you when he sees something or someone when on the road. And you and your wife are used to travel. You even care for your horse by taking breaks and helping to shoulder the load by walking next to the cart instead of in it".

He laughed cheerfully before responding, "You're sharper than you look, son," His eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, "Let's see; seeing as you kept that salted meat in a special part of your pack, you're used to traveling as well. You know the proper etiquette on how to greet someone for the first time, and from your hands and age, I'd say you're some sort of wandering soldier".

"I was a soldier for a time, but I learned etiquette from my master," Minato chuckled at the memories, "Even when I was just a brat, he was so harsh with his teachings".

"Sounds like a great man; are you headed to where he's living".

He frowned at the comment, but responded anyways, "He died last summer. I buried him up north of here".

With a solemn nod, the father reached back into a small bag he kept on him, "And your parents?"

"… Never knew 'em".

"Well" He pulled out a small glass bottle with amber liquid and a small glass, "The Missus doesn't like when I drink, but I think tonight she'll forgive me".

Pouring out a shot into the glass, the father handed Minato the bottle before raising his drink.

"To those we've lost"

"To those we've lost"

The man returned to his family after they finished their toast, the blunet already taking the earlier watch. He had far too much on his mind to sleep right away, and he used the hours of solitude to right himself again.

When the father awoke to take over the watch, Minato was more than ready to go to sleep. Curling up beneath his cloak, the blunet blacked out quickly.

…

"-t up…"

"Ge-… -ou"

…

"GET UP YOU BASTARD"

While not the hardest he'd received, the accompanying kick to the ribs jolted Minato out of his sleep. Blinking and yawning, he opened his eyes and looked up; straight into the eyes of someone he didn't recognize.

A Brigand.

"I told you get on your feet you piece of shit!". The blunet didn't flinch when another blow was sent to his ribs, but he got to his feet regardless. "And get your hands in the air!"

"I'm sorry son" The father was standing by the cart, an axe to his throat, "I'm so, so sorry".

As much as he wanted to reassure the man, the hunter saved his breath as he took the opportunity to find their other two traveling companions. They were both separated and restrained, the young boy barely keeping back tears while the woman was constantly looking at her son.

One final bandit, one that looked far more intimidating than the rest of them, was shifting through the cart.

"Stop ignoring me you piece of shit!" The punch the man threw at his ribs might have been painfully slow to Minato, but he let it land anyways.

"Stop fuckin' around with the sellsword and get his money already!" The leader shouted from the wagon.

Reaching down under his cloak with his left hand, the blunet did a subtle check of his weapons belt.

"Looking for this?"

Only to have the pommel of his own sword smash into the side of his head.

"Enough fucking around, give me your trice-damned money pouch!"

He reached further back to where his money would normally be as blood dripped down the slide of his face.

"And for the love of- Shut that damn brat up!"

"That's my sword. You're going to regret not killing me when you had the chance". The hunter whispered, barely audible.

None of the brigands reacted fast enough when Minato suddenly pulled out his crossbow and drilled the man holding the son hostage between the eyes. Dropping the spent weapon to the ground, he drew two throwing knives from their quick-draw holsters on his forearms and plunged them into the right arm of the bandit in front of him.

The hunter wasted no time pulling two more throwing knives from his belt and sent them into the necks of the two other brigands holding up the couple.

He reached over and removed his sword from the man's hands with one arm and grabbed his neck with the other. With no bravado, Minato stabbed the man straight through the heart. Letting go of his neck, he didn't even look when the man cleanly slid of the edge of the blade and collapsed onto the ground.

The leader charged forward, taking advantage of the initiative to bring his axe down in an over-head strike. Minato caught the attack with his sword, angling it to down to let the axe slide harmlessly off the flat of the blade.

"You're not the average sellsword" He looked at the blunet warily, the two circling each other, "Who the hell are you, you bastard?"

Minato didn't respond, bobbing in and out as he tested the leader's defense. One slightly awkward block from his axe, and the hunter struck.

To his credit, the bandit didn't scream when his arm was cleanly cut off. The blunet flicked the blood off his blade before walking forward; approaching the leader as he weakly grabbed at the stub that was his arm.

"W-What do you want" The man spoke up, only watching as Minato kicked his weapon well away from him.

"Well," The hunter said with a sigh as he grabbed the leader by his tunic, "I _was_ going to interrogate you but,"

"SON, WATCH OUT!"

He spun around, dragging the leader with him; not blinking when an arrow tore through the wounded man's chest. He finished the wounded man by cutting his head clean off.

A single archer stood some distance away, his hand shaking from the realization that he just shot his own boss.

"It looks like I'll have to make do another way".

When the next arrow ripped through the air at him, Minato batted it out of the air with the flat of his sword. The archer reached for another arrow as the hunter drew yet another throwing knife. The iron weapon easily cut through the bow string and left a thin scratch on the man's face.

By the time he moved to grab his knife, the blunet already punched the man in the gut. The archer collapsed in a heap on the snow. Grabbing him by his shirt collar, Minato placed his sword a hair's breath away from the man's throat.

"Now, you can either tell me what I want to know and I'll make this quick".

Silver eyes darkened and his grip tightened.

"Or, I can cut you up so much that when the wolves come by tonight to feast on you and your little gang here they won't know what kind of meat their eating until its already down their throat".


	4. Chapter 3

They traveled in silence until they were only minutes away from their destination before parting.

It was something had been beaten into his mind when he was first learning how to swing a sword; that he wasn't a hero.

Heroes gave long, inspiring speeches before engaging in honorable duels against their foes. Heroes for kings and saved princesses. Heroes did it all for free and with a smile.

Heroes didn't kill five men in the span of half a minute before torturing the sole survivor. Granted, Minato reminded himself, he had had the decency to drag the man out of sight before _efficiently_ getting every last drop of information that he could out of him.

He cooperated, so while the wolves were going to be feasting like kings that evening, they would at least know what it was they were tearing into.

It didn't change the fact that that family would never look at him the same way again. The blunet noticed a glimmer of respect in the father's eye, most likely from killing the man holding his son hostage first.

But the only thing he saw in their eyes before he departed was fear and weariness.

Fear of another ambush at the hands of bandits.

Weariness over the monster hiding in a human skin and long coat that had been traveling with them.

While those looks of trepidation were not new to him, the sting the hunter felt every time he received them was why he vastly preferred to travel alone.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Minato readjusted his cloak to make sure his infamous coat was out of sight before stepping out of the treeline.

The forest cleared to give room to the massive city sprawled out on the plains. Tall stone brick ramparts encompassed the city in a large hexagon, with guard towers at every point. The main keep rested straight in the center point, being built low to the ground for the purpose of being a fortress rather than a castle. Around it spread out the many Districts, housing everything from a sprawling marketplace to the forges that made the city into the trade center it was currently.

But what truly made the city such a sight to see in the colder months was the simple fact that it was bright and sunny out, taking the edge off the cold breeze that swept over the flat lands.

Minato couldn't help but snicker; he knew exactly why the weather was always so fair around here, and it had nothing to do with the mountain chain that ran from due west to due north of the city.

The hunter approached the Eastern gate, sliding into the end of the line to pass through the checkpoint. Standing in line, he quickly pulled down his hood and looked over the state of the wall. The iron chain used to raise and lower the metal gate looked decent in condition, but the hunter noted that it needed to be greased and that the pick and hammer used to break the chain in case of emergencies was out of sight. That, combined with the fact that a few rookie guards were scrubbing a section of the wall rather than training told Minato that the last thing anyone expected was conflict; which was good, considering two years ago the city was in the middle of churning soldiers and weapons out to fight the war in the west.

It was a short wait before the blunet made it to the guard, to whom he handed over the letter he'd received only a week and a half ago. After a brief look of confusion, the man walked over to where the guard captain supervising was speaking to an older man. A few quick words later, and the captain removed a smooth stone, moving it over the paper. A seal glowed lightly on the bottom corner of paper, proving that the summons to the keep was in fact legitimate and not a forgery.

"Sir, do you require aid reaching the Central Keep?" The captain asked as he walked over.

Inwardly, Minato groaned; he knew that the letter's clever wording would end up with _someone_ thinking he was some sort of aristocrat. He mentally noted to remind him that the next time he wanted to talk he could just give him an admittance letter and sneak into the keep from there rather than have to deal with the hassle of an official summons.

Shaking his head, the blunet replied, "No thanks, I know the way".

Turning and walking past them, Minato quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Uh, captain, do you know who that guy was?" The guard questioned his superior, still slightly confused about the encounter.

Rubbing his chin in thought, the captain responded, "He was traveling light and by himself, so I don't think he was the son of anyone too important. Besides, the Second Prince is supposed to be working out a trade agreement with some merchant guild today; some big aristocrat would probably take up an entire day's worth of time".

He turned back around and started to walk back to his post, the lesser guard following suit.

"Who knows? Maybe he's a friend of the prince?"

* * *

It was almost pitiful how easy it was to sneak into the keep. The hunter silently walked through the shadows as another servant walked by, carrying a feather duster, and began to sweep the dust off of a nearby table.

The room that was his destination was only just down the hall from him, so he stopped and prepared himself for his entrance. Unclipping the cloak, the hunter stuffed it into his travel pack before reaching into one of the pockets and pulling out his face mask.

With the mask covering his nose and down, Minato flipped his hood up and put his pack back on. Making sure his weapons' belt was in clear view, he strapped a few extra knives to it just to make sure.

He knew that he looked the part when the servant, some poor lady, noticed him walking by, turned deathly pale, and then promptly fainted.

Reaching the large, double wooden door, the blunet quietly opened the door just enough to slip in before closing it without so much as a squeak.

The room was large, almost as large as the house he had up north, with long couches around a fireplace that served as a place to socialize. Behind that was a slightly raised section, with a full-size wooden desk set in front of an impressive set of windows; allowing large beams of sunlight to illuminate the room.

Crowded around the desk, numerous men garbed in _quality clothing_ argued back and forth, the brunet sitting in the desk's main chair looking less than amused.

Minato stood still, waiting for his presence to be noticed, only to groan as he realized that he'd instinctively stood in the shadow of the room's grandfather clock.

Leaving the room, and making sure to leave both of the doors slightly ajar, he turned around and kicked open the doors.

This time, when he walked into the room, all eyes were on the hunter. While the other men looked like they wanted to hide in a corner, the man he was looking for seemed happier for the distraction than anything else.

"Than-n" One of the

"You're here, finally" The Second Prince spoke up, his tone dry as usual.

The blunet approached without a word, wanting to draw out the affect he was having for as long as possible.

Rifling through his desk, the prince pulled out an envelope and handed it to Minato, "I need a favor from you; the letter will tell you what you need to know".

* * *

The cloak was back over his shoulders the second he stepped back out of view, quickly making his way to the Northern gate.

The letter, unsurprisingly, was brief.

 _Bernstone / Disappearances_

Minato was only mildly annoyed at the two words; his annoyance being diminished by the fact that the lack of substance to the letter meant that something major was happening, something major that needed to stay out of the public eye.

Ripping the letter into as many fragments he could, the blunet threw them into a nearby torch.

It was a detour from where he needed to be going, a detour that he really shouldn't be taking with what little he already knew.

But, he couldn't exactly deny a favor from "Apollo".

* * *

 **A/N: And we're starting to pick up steam already.**


End file.
